Yarayaraman

I went into this with little knowledge of what to expect other than the sense it would be interesting!

This is probably the best Hugh Grant role I have ever seen. I'm not sure who else could possibly have delivered this performance, without it either becoming too earnest and boring, or too silly and unbelievable. Mr Grant nails it.

As the pieces of the puzzle slotted into place, I started to get that queasy feeling of... "Can it deliver on the premise?" There were some nice twists and turns, and the character development and performances of the two Sisters was well setup and delivered. This film reminded me of Martyr's, the infamous French Horror which succeeded, albeit through a horrific endurance test, to delve deep into similar territory. It also reminded me a little of Barbarian. This is nowhere near as shocking or horrific. It is not really a horror at all to begin with, which is where the challenge lays.

The setup is so good, that there there is a sense that this could have concluded with a deeper, more powerful and interesting journey arc and reveal in the second half. Despite that, and unlike other reviewers who hated the second half, I still found it compelling enough, and the final scene (with a nod to the spinning top in Inception) a fitting conclusion.

Discovering that it is the same cinematographer who did The Handmaiden and Oldboy made a lot of sense. The visuals and the pacing is excellent, completely drawing you into the scenes as they unfold.

Ultimately, it is definitely worth watching. It is genuinely engaging on an intellectual level, just unpredictable enough to keep you guessing, while also having some of the best horror acting performances I have seen in a very long time.

I usually write reviews based purely on my experience, not other people's reviews. However, the poor reviews here expose an element of human nature that is unfortunate. I watched this despite the trailer, which appeared on the surface to be a fairly simple plot device, entertaining but not necessarily that interesting. I watched this partly because it was an Apple TV production. Most, though not all, Apple TV series offer something deeper, and unexpected. They tend to focus more on the human experience, not just as a vehicle for entertainment.

Firstly, the ending (no spoilers). Yes, it could have ended at episode 9, but then it would have completely failed to complete its mission, which was to explore the deep impact of preceding events on the main characters, and the world stage. Personally, I would have been deeply disappointed if it had ended early, as it would have betrayed the depth of the story up until that point. Episode 10 was also the most stress inducing episode to watch, partly because of the way things wrapped up in episode 9. In short, it was essential.

The main criticism of the entire series appears to be that it was too slow, the script was uneven, and summed up as best I can, not consistently entertaining, in the way a typical CIA thriller plays out. For me, they were its strengths. The simple version of this story could have easily played out over a standard film runtime, but then it would have been a generic and ultimately forgettable story, lacking depth or purpose. Splitting it into part one, two and three was clearly and intentionally designed to signal to the audience a shift in tone and focus. From all-out gun fights, to human drama. I believe this caught many people off guard, forcing them to confront some uncomfortable truths. For that, I applaud it.

If you're looking for a shallow and easily resolved action thriller, you should either skip this, or fast forward to the "good bits". If you're looking for a deeper human story, that explores the impact of the actions of individuals and the industrial military complex, then you have come to the right place.

While clearly billed as a horror film, it wallows beautifully for quite some time in simply making you feel increasingly uncomfortable. Many comedy's achieve this, leaving awkward laughter as the pay-off. Not so here.

This film is masterful in its ability to allow you to experience, see, hear and feel exactly what the protagonists do. You question every decision in realtime with them, often knowing that each micro-decision is poor, convincing yourself that you would act differently, without being quite able to pinpoint the point of no return. Arguably the first and most innocuous decision sets an irreversible path, despite the thousands of opportunities to choose another one.

The film creates a unique feeling quite unlike any other horror film I have experienced. I have been shocked, disturbed, repulsed, entertained, educated, and surprised. Speak no Evil burrows into the darkest edges of the human psyche. Allegiances are tested between you and the protagonist's. Traditional horror tropes are both delivered and confounded, leaving a deep sense of unease, frustration, anger, and despair. It is hard to reconcile the outcome as anything but avoidable, while also being inevitable.

As one review stated, this is a very difficult film to recommend. This is not entertainment, and, I would politely suggest, not for everyone. However, it is one of the most cleverly constructed and beguiling horror films I have seen in a very long time.